ST. PETERSBURG, FL, USA - The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour announced Wednesday the upgrade of the Warsaw Open to Premier event status and the addition of new International level events in Bad Gastein, Austria and Marbella, Spain to the 2009 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar.

The Warsaw Open, which will have $600,000 of prize money, will move to the week of May 18, right before Roland Garros, previously occupied by the German Open in Berlin. The Gastein Ladies in Bad Gastein will take place the week of July 20 (formerly occupied by the Warsaw Open - 2008 champion Pauline Parmentier pictured) and the Andalucia Tennis Experience in Marbella will take place the week of April 6.

"The upgrading of Warsaw to a Premier level tournament and the addition of two new European International events is exciting news for fans of women's tennis, in particular in Europe," said Larry Scott, CEO of the Tour. "Today's announcement represents a strengthening of the Tour calendar in Europe, and is a positive indicator of the investment that women's tennis continues to attract."

The 2009 Tour calendar features 55 tournaments (inclusive of the four Grand Slams, which are not operated by the Tour) across 31 countries and record prize money of over $86 million. The international breadth of tournaments includes 26 events in Europe, 15 events in the Americas and 14 events in the Asia-Pacific region. Seventeen combined events are Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Beijing, Sydney, Moscow, Eastbourne, New Haven, Brisbane, 's-Hertogenbosch, Estoril, Memphis and Acapulco, along with the four Grand Slams. Seven back-to-back men/women events are Dubai, Tokyo, Rome, Cincinnati, Canada, Auckland and Bastad. This year will also see new tournaments in Madrid, Brisbane, Monterrey, Ponte Vedra Beach, Bastad, Warsaw, Osaka, Bad Gastein and Marbella.